Polaris Prize Long List Released

Forty of the country's best artists and bands face off in a contest where the only losers are ... well, the 39 that don't win the $30,000.

The long list of nominees for the Polaris Music Prize has been released, with a raft of familiar names – Neil Young, Ron Sexsmith, Sloan – and plenty of new ones, all vying for the $30,000 prize. All told, 40 bands and artists made the list, providing a great place to wade into the who's who of contemporary Canadian music. Indie rock stalwarts Arcade Fire, Stars, The Dears, and Destroyer all make appearances, as do members of the new vanguard, such as Braids, Dirty Beaches, Hey Rosetta!, Land of Talk, and Timber Timbre. Toronto R&B savants The Weeknd, Ottawa/Toronto hip-hop duo Eternia and MoSS, and Canadian rap icon Buck 65 all help to flesh it out beyond the guitars-n-PBRs set.